OFFICIAL OF THE MONTH KRISTIN COTTAM

Kristin is currently a B List judge and Area Judges Officer for Dressage Southland. Her most recent assignment was the South Island Dressage Championships as she prepares for a trip north to judge at the Bates National Championships at the end of March. This trip has been nearly two years in the planning thanks to covid interruptions, so naturally she is quite excited about 2023.

Kristin has been on the judges panel for twelve years. “I enjoy it more now than in the early days. I found it somewhat stressful in the beginning but now I am getting to travel more, get more experience and meet more judges from other areas, it seems easier.

HOW KRISTIN’S EQUINE JOURNEY LED TO JUDGING

As a child I rode until my midteens and enjoyed the fun and freedom that comes with pony club/eventing and galloping on the beach etc. I had a 10-year break and returned to riding in my later twenties. Initially I went back to eventing/show jumping and adult riding club, but then converted to dressage after a nasty fall show jumping.

Over the last twenty years I have enjoyed breeding a number of lovely young horses that have gone onto careers across the disciplines, predominantly in dressage and showjumping which has given me great pride and immense enjoyment seeing them succeed at a local, island and national level. I have also trained my last three horses through to medium level and after a year off I am now starting the last of my home bred horses who is by GT Jake out of my Anamour mare whom I rode to medium level. The young horse journey is one that I enjoy the most although always fraught with moments that get the adrenalin going it is a rewarding exercise seeing the progress you can make in a short amount of time.

We currently live on a lifestyle property just out of Winton and enjoy any free time in summer spent with friends and family on the lakes in Central boating and in winter we enjoy travelling (preferably overseas to somewhere warm) which has been challenging in the last two years.